Various wireless access technologies have been proposed or implemented to enable mobile stations to perform communications with other mobile stations or with wired terminals coupled to wired networks. Examples of wireless access technologies include GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) or UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) technologies, defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP); CDMA 2000 (Code Division Multiple Access 2000) technologies, defined by 3GPP2; or other wireless access technologies. The CDMA 2000 family of wireless access technologies include the 1xRTT wireless access technology (generally used to perform circuit-switched communications), and the 1xEV-DO (or EV-DO) wireless access technology (used for communication of packet data and defined by the High Rate Packet Data (HRPD) specification, also known as the IS-856 specification).
More recently, further development of the 3GPP standards have lead to the 3GPP LTE (long term evolution) wireless access technology.
Within a mobile communications network, different types of wireless access equipment corresponding to different types of wireless access technologies may be present. For example, a wireless communications network may include both 1xRTT and 1xEV-DO wireless access equipment. As a mobile station moves within such a mobile communications network, the mobile station may be handed off from 1xEV-DO wireless access equipment to 1xRTT wireless access equipment (or vice versa).
Conventionally, a handoff (or handover) that is performed between different types of wireless access equipment, such as between 1xEV-DO and 1xRTT wireless access equipment, may be associated with various inefficiencies. For example, one of the tasks performed during a handoff from 1 xEV-DO wireless access equipment to 1xRTT wireless access equipment is that the mobile station that is being handed off performs various pilot strength measurements that are communicated from the 1xEV-DO wireless access equipment to the 1xRTT wireless access equipment.
However, there may be a timing issue associated with the pilot strength measurements made by the mobile station, since the pilot strength measurements may have been made some relatively long period of time prior to completion of the handoff. As a result, the pilot strength measurements taken by the mobile station may no longer be accurate. Inaccurate pilot strength measurements may lead to improper allocation of radio resources in the target 1xRTT wireless network, or alternatively, the mobile station may be asked to repeat pilot strength measurements, which is inefficient.